Hegel for Vivid?

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Created: 05 December 2017

To Hans Wetzel,

I do have a question for you. I have Vivid Audio V1.5 loudspeakers connected to a Naim SuperUniti [DAC-integrated amp]. I hear a lot about Hegel [Music Systems] lately. For example, the H160 or the new H190 model [DAC-integrated amp]. What amp would you prefer with the Vivid speakers? Hope to hear from you soon.

Best,Fonz VorselaarsNetherlands

Having previously reviewed the Vivid V1.5 for SoundStage! Ultra (due to its fairly high price of $8500 USD/pair), the now-discontinued Hegel H160 and H300 for this site, and as an owner of the current Hegel H360 (which the Hegel H190 borrows from), I feel confident in saying that the Vivid/Hegel tandem is a good one. As a long-time Hegel owner, I’m clearly partial to Hegel’s designs and overall sound. But I take comfort in the fact that I’m not alone in thinking that the Norwegian company is making some top-shelf amps. Al Griffin, who heads up SoundStage! Simplfi, was so taken with the Hegel H190 when he recently reviewed it, it received a Reviewers’ Choice award. Fellow SoundStage! writers Philip Beaudette and Oliver Amnuayphol were also so smitten by Hegel’s H360 and Röst, respectively, when they wrote about them, that those two products also received Reviewers’ Choice awards. Having captured the ear of four writers, I think it’s fair to say that Hegel is the real deal.

Whether you’ll prefer Hegel to your Naim SuperUniti integrated amp is another story. I’ve never heard a Naim amplifier, so I can’t comment on how it might compare to Hegel’s current offerings. If I were in your shoes, though, I’d opt for the H190 and not look back. It’s the company’s newest integrated amp, with a great built-in DAC, and offers 150Wpc into 8 ohms, which should be more than enough for your two-way Vivids to sing without strain. . . . Hans Wetzel